LONDON (Reuters) - A British Airways plane crash-landed at
London's Heathrow airport on Thursday, injuring 11 people and
triggering an investigation as to why the Boeing 777 flying in
from China landed short of the runway.

Fire engines smothered the aircraft in foam after the
landing at the world's busiest international airport
extensively damaged its wings and ripped off its undercarriage.

The wheels of the plane, which had a routine maintenance
check in December, were still in the field where it crashed,
several hundred meters from the runway.

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"I win the lottery today," Fernando Prado, one of the 136
passengers on board, said after being safely evacuated by
emergency chute from the wreckage.

He said the landing gear appeared to fail. "I saw the
engine on the tarmac. Everything was over quickly. There was no
panic at all," he told BBC News.

An airport spokesman said in a statement that the Air
Accidents Investigation Branch was inspecting the aircraft.

"BA Flight 38 arriving from Beijing made an emergency
landing at 1242," he said.

"Passengers were immediately evacuated and taken to a
reception centre at the airport.

"Heathrow Airport's southern runway was closed immediately
after the incident. It has now re-opened for take-offs only.
The northern runway is operating for arriving aircraft."

BAA said 11 passengers suffered minor injuries and warned
travelers would face chaos as many flights were subject to
delays while others were cancelled. Normally about 40 flights
an hour touch down at Heathrow, just west of the capital, with
a further 40 taking off.

It is unclear how long the disruption will last.

The ambulance service said three people were slightly
injured. British Airways said it had no comment to offer on why
the plane came down.

In a statement, BA chief executive Willie Walsh described
his crew, which he said followed safety procedures to the
letter, as magnificent.

"The captain of the aircraft is one of our most experienced
and has been flying with us for nearly 20 years," he said.

A London police spokeswoman said: "There is nothing to
suggest it is terror-related."

One eyewitness, Steve Bell, said the wheels were not down
on landing, and he heard a grating noise.

"It turned about 90 degrees on landing. Its wheels were not
down. Within minutes fire crews arrived and evacuated all the
passengers," he told BBC News 24 television.

Among the planes delayed was a flight Prime Minister Gordon
Brown was taking on an official trip to India and China.